THE NIGHT I FOLLOWED THE DOG

Age Range: 4 - 10

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 1994ISBN: 0-8118-0647-2Publisher: Chronicle

Early one morning, a boy sees his dog step out of a limousine wearing a tuxedo. The next night, the boy follows his dog and discovers that the pet he always thought of as boring (he can't sing, like the neighbor's dog, or change channels on the TV) is actually the suave owner of a swinging nightclub called ``The Doghouse.'' At the club, the boy meets two mean bulldog bouncers, a cocker spaniel waitress, and a glamorous greyhound, among other canine lounge lizards. His dog explains the point of his club: ``See all the sofas? We can sit on the sofas here. We can get treats without having to lie down, roll over, or play dead....This? This is a place where dogs can be dogs.'' Laden's dog characters are especially keenly drawn. The type (made to look like the boy's handwriting, with pictures drawn around some words) can be a little fussy looking, but it fits the tone. A whimsical book. (Picture book. 4-10)